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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. stock — goods
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. track — a path
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wound — an injury
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. stock — shares
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. track — a song
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. track — to keep track
  22. snap — to click
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wake — a trail

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com